Viet Nam: suspected avian influenza virus infection claims boy's life

January 5, 2005

Source: ChannelnewsAsia online, Wed 5 Jan 2005 [edited]

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A boy in southern Viet Nam has died from suspected avian influenza

virus infection, the virus that has killed at least 20 people in the

country since late 2003, officials reported on Wed 5 Jan 2005.

The 9-year-old boy from Cang Long district, of the southern province

of Tra Vinh, died on Tuesday [4 Jan 2004] night, Luong Van Minh,

Deputy Director of Tra Vinh provincial hospital, told Agence France

Presse. He was initially treated at the provincial clinic, then

transferred to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City

on Mon 4 Jan 2005. " Tests in Ho Chi Minh City's Pasteur Institute

before his death showed that the boy was H5N1 virus positive, " Minh

said. " After having direct contact with infected poultry, he was

admitted to our hospital with high fever before being transferred to

Ho Chi Minh City, " he said.

On Sunday [2 Jan 2005], a 16-year-old girl from Tay Ninh in Viet Nam

tested positive for avian influenza virus infection. The girl from

the rural southern province of Tay Ninh has been receiving treatment

at the Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City.

New outbreaks of bird flu have been reported in 7 southern provinces

in Viet Nam since late December 2004, and at least 14 000 birds have

been culled to try to contain the disease, according to local

officials.

--

Henry L. Niman, PhD

<henry_niman

[As of 30 Dec 2004, the Vietnamese authorities have listed 29

confirmed cases of avian influenza A (H5N1) virus infection, which

included the girl from Tay Ninh province currently in the hospital in

Ho Chi Minh City. (The WHO, on the other hand, recognized only 28

confirmed cases). It is not clear why the fatal case described above

is categorized as " suspected, " although testing positive for H5N1

virus. If this case is confirmed, the total number of cases in Viet

Nam will increase to 30 (or 29 according to WHO), and the number of

fatalities to 21. - Mod.CP]

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